Distributed Content Identification

1. A method of identifying content in a distributed computing system, the method comprising: receiving an image or audio signal in a first device in the distributed computing system; in the first device, analyzing characteristics of the signal to identify portions of the signal to send to a second, remote device for identification of the signal, including ranking the portions for identification based on signal metrics of the portions; and sending the portions to the second, remote device in the distributed computing system, wherein the portions are further processed according to the ranking to derive an identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing comprises computing the signal metrics of the portions and identifying the portions to send to the second device based on the metrics.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the signal metrics are computed from the signal at selected frequencies.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the signal metrics comprise signal activity measured at the selected frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing comprises pre-filtering the image or audio signal, and the sending includes sending filtered versions of the portions to the second device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a wireless device, and the signal comprises an audio signal received through a microphone of the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a wireless device, and the signal comprises an image signal received through a camera of the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 1 further including: using the identifier to look up a Uniform Resource Locator associated with the content.

9. A wireless, portable computing device comprising: a sensor for capturing a content signal; a processor for processing the content signal to analyze characteristics of the signal to identify portions of the signal to send to a second, remote device for identification of the signal, including ranking the portions for identification based on signal metrics of the portions; and a communication module for sending the portions to the second, remote device, wherein the portions are further processed according to the ranking to derive an identifier.

10. A server comprising: a communication link with a remote device for receiving portions of a content signal that have been ranked for further identification based on an analysis of signal metrics; a processor for processing the ranked portions to derive the identifier from the portions; wherein the derived identifier is used to look up a Uniform Resource Locator associated with the content.